Hasan Nawaz became the fifth Pakistan player to join the Desert Vipers squad ahead of the fifth season of the DP World International League T20 (ILT20).
Nawaz returns to the Vipers dugout after his debut season with the franchise in the title-winning campaign last term. The middle order batter replaces England’s Aneurin Donald who has been selected for England’s upcoming T20 series in Australia.
The 24-year-old batter will enter the tournament high on confidence, having come close to the Asian Games T20 gold medal in Japan.
During the title match against a full-strength Indian team, Nawaz smashed 96 from 51 balls as Pakistan almost chased down the target of 212, losing by 19 runs.
Last month, Nawaz scored 47 in the final to help Antigua and Barbuda win the Caribbean Premier League title.
Pakistan, meanwhile, completed a T20 series win at home against Sri Lanka this month.
Now, as many as five Pakistan international stars will be competing for the Desert Vipers when the ILT20 kicks off on November 21.
Once a Viper, always a Viper 🐍
— Desert Vipers (@TheDesertVipers) October 16, 2026
Hassan Nawaz returns to our squad as a replacement for Aneurin Donald 💚
[Desert Vipers | Fangs Out | DP World ILT20 Season 5] pic.twitter.com/EetmWV4l8Q
Nawaz joins Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Fakhar Zaman and Shadab Khan in the Vipers team. Interestingly, Desert Vipers are the only franchise not under Indian ownership and face no competition while recruiting Pakistan players.
“The fact we have been able to secure the services of Hasan as his replacement is fantastic from our perspective,” Desert Vipers CEO Phil Oliver said.
“He was a key member of the Vipers squad in our successful Season 4 and so he will slot in very easily to our set-up. And, on top of that, he has been in terrific form this year, scoring runs for the Quetta franchise in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and then being a vital component of the Antigua and Barbuda franchise’s run to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) title.
“We look forward to welcoming Hasan back to the Vipers for Season 5 and hope he will play his part as we look to go back-to-back in the upcoming tournament.”
The Vipers begin their title defence on the opening day of Season 5, playing MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium.
The ILT20 runs from November 21 to December 20.